Türlwandhütte - Hoher Dachstein (Super Ferrata)

Access to the starting point:
Drive through the Karavanke Tunnel into Austria, then continue along the Tauern motorway. We continue through the Katschberg Tunnel and later the Thuringian Tunnel / Tauerntunnel, and follow the motorway to Salzburg (also Solnograd) only as far as the exit for Radstadt, Schladming. Continue on the road to Schladming and then turn left onto the ascending road after the Ramsau signs. In Ramsau, continue along the road for a further 2 km and then turn right onto the toll road, where you will be directed by signs for the gondola lift. Follow this road until you reach the large parking lot in front of the lower gondola station.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue past the lower cable car station past the Südwandhütte signs. The path initially follows the right-hand side of the cable car through a sparse larch forest before turning left and crossing the slopes to the west. Soon a path branches off to the right towards the climbing kindergarten (Klettergarten). Continue crossing the slopes to the west and the path from the lower starting point joins from the left. From the crossroads, it is then about 10 minutes' walk along the view slope to the Südwandhütte hut.
From the hut, follow the signs "Klettersteig Anna" and cross the slope in a gentle descent to the north. The path quickly leads to a crossroads where you continue downhill to the left and straight ahead towards the Johann climbing route. From the crossroads, the path descends slightly steeper, past the rare dwarf pines, and leads to the crossroads again. This time continue to the right after the "Klettersteig Anna" signs, and to the left the path leads down towards the mountain pasture Glösalm and Bachalm. The path then soon leads to scree which we cross for a while, and then a signpost points slightly to the right, and a straight path leads to the Adamek Hütte. The trail is then marked with red dots and after a short climb leads to the entrance to the climbing part of the trail.
The climbing route climbs up an almost vertical pillar from the very beginning and is aided by a number of rungs (difficulty C/D). The route then becomes slightly less difficult and soon turns to the right where it climbs along a rope along a steep rocky slope. This is followed by another more difficult climb with the aid of wedges, which leads to a place called Mittersteinköpfl (C). The route then turns left and there is a short traverse to smooth slabs (B). The route then climbs up the smooth slabs (B/C) and then climbs steeply with the aid of wedges (C). This is followed by a climb up a very steep couloir (C/D). Further on, the route becomes a shade less difficult (up to B/C), but continues to be very exposed. In the last part, the route becomes more difficult again and climbs up a vertical smooth wall (D) with the help of a number of wedges. The route then gradually becomes less difficult and is followed by a climb along a less difficult ridge to the top. From the top, continue along the ridge and after a short descent join the direct path from the Südwandhütte hut.
The trail, marked with red dots, then crosses the slopes to the west. In early summer, there may be snowfields on this part of the trail. The trail then turns right and climbs on scree to the entrance to the Johann Klettersteig climbing route.
The climbing route initially climbs along a steel cable towards the wall (difficulty C), followed by a short traverse to the left, which leads to the entrance overhang, which is the most difficult point on the whole route (difficulty E). Although there are rungs to help you over the overhang, it still requires a lot of strength in the arms to climb up. From the overhang, which is not too long, there is a steep climb with the help of wedges (difficulty D). For a short time the path becomes a shade easier (difficulty B), and then climbs steeply again along the steel (difficulty C/D). The path then climbs up a steep slope for some time (difficulty up to B/C), and then leads to a short, gentle section where you can rest.
The path becomes more difficult again and initially climbs along a steel track (C), leading to an even steeper part of the path. After this, we climb up a mostly vertical wall for some time, aided by a number of rungs (C/D). Higher up, when we reach a place called Adlerhorst (2470 m), the route becomes even more exposed and climbs up a vertical smooth wall (D). The vertical climb is relatively long, but even on this part of the route we are helped by a number of rungs, which make the climb easier. The path then leads to a slightly wider ledge on which there are a lot of rocks, so we have to be very careful not to trigger the rocks.
On the ledge, the path turns slightly to the right and after a short steep climb (C/D) leads to a registration box at 2500 m. The trail becomes slightly less demanding and only occasionally climbs steeper. In the last part of the route towards the hut, the more difficult parts become more frequent (difficulty up to D). At the very end of the Johann climbing route, there is an exposed exit traverse which leads to the Seethalerhütte hut. At the hut, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the glacier, we have a beautiful view to the north and of the mountains above the glacier. From the hut, continue along a wide, well-maintained path on the glacier, which begins to descend gently. Soon you will come to a bend where the trail turns right downhill. At this point, leave this path and head firmly left towards the eastern ridge of Hoher Dachstein. As you ascend the glacier, you will also cross a glacial crevasse, which is marked with a warning sign. At this point the glacier is still relatively low and we soon reach the rocky slopes of the eastern ridge where we leave the glacier.
To reach the start of the protected route, you first have to climb about 20 metres from the glacier on a rather steep unprotected slope. It is recommended to belaying with a rope on this part. The initial steep part can be avoided by continuing on the glacier for a short distance and then taking a sharp left and climbing up a narrow gully to a belayed route. In this part the glacier is a shade steeper, but we cross another small crack.
When you reach the protected path, continue to climb quite steeply along the east ridge (difficulty B). The path then becomes a shade less steep and runs along the right side of the ridge. Later, the path turns right from the ridge and, after crossing a ledge, joins the path over the glacier.
At the crossroads, continue left and start climbing again at a slightly steeper gradient (B). The path climbs steeply a few more times with the aid of pegs and crampons, and soon reaches the summit.
The route described is extremely difficult and is rated E. It is also very long, so it is suitable only for experienced mountaineers with sufficient fitness and plenty of strength in their arms.
From the summit, follow the ascent path to the glacier and then follow the well-maintained path that leads along the steel cable to the upper station of the gondola lift. Alternatively to the cable car, you can also descend on foot via the Hunerscharte notch (difficulty B).

On the way: Dachstein Südwand Hütte (1910m), Mitterstein (2097m), Seethalerhütte (2740m)

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